How to get that lush look?

[squircle]

I don't like the sparse, bare look with a bunch of frag plugs. I know the most common method is just to wait and let the colonies grow out, but I'm talking about full coverage. It is hard to get a dense look without SPS. LPS and Softies don't really like growing together.

Is there any way to get a 'dense' sort of look without using SPS? How?

 

[xiaoxiy]

I don't like the sparse, bare look with a bunch of frag plugs. I know the most common method is just to wait and let the colonies grow out, but I'm talking about full coverage. It is hard to get a dense look without SPS. LPS and Softies don't really like growing together.

Is there any way to get a 'dense' sort of look without using SPS? How?

Just let things grow in; they’ll find their own territory boundaries. The only way to achieve that lush look is for things to grow out.

 

[BeanAnimal]

You can spend the money for larger corals. Many vendors or LFS can arrange to get you large colonies if you are willing to pay.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

My softie tank is pretty lush I feel, no room for anything else.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Give it time and let your corals grow out, and it will look full!

 

[mfinn]

I don't like the sparse, bare look with a bunch of frag plugs. I know the most common method is just to wait and let the colonies grow out, but I'm talking about full coverage. It is hard to get a dense look without SPS. LPS and Softies don't really like growing together.

Is there any way to get a 'dense' sort of look without using SPS? How?

I think you answered your own question.
Buy small, and wait.
You can buy big and no wait.

You can alway go with branching lps that have movement that makes it appear there is more.
Aquascaping with tall stuff in front that help fill the view.

In this hobby it's tough to get that "instant gratification" feeling.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

This is a good example of a softy-focused tank that looks "lush"

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/reef-...lon-masterpiece-of-unmeasured-parameters.915/

 

[commod0re]

Coral keeping is underwater gardening. The only real way is to wait. Don’t want to wait so long? Get fast growing corals like leathers, GSP, etc.
You can buy larger colonies too but imo doesn’t look quite the same as a truly grown-in reef tank

You could alternatively technically cover everything in frags I guess? But you’re bound to lose some when they start to grow

 

[BryanM]

This is a fairly recent pic of my tank. Its mostly LPS focused and I would think fits the look you're after.

I do leave corals on the frag plugs as it makes them easier to glue in to places that are interesting.

 

[LivinFast850]

Patience is a must in this game. As much as it sucks some times. And as slow as some of these frags grow lol.

 

[CHSUB]

If you follow the fundamentals: light, flow, super clean with near undetectable inorganic nutrients, frequent feeding of ALL animals, water changes, dosing elements ….corals grow so fast (like the ocean) you will be trimming them in under 2 years, but ultimately patience is required!

 

[Biokabe]

I'd caution against the urge to buy really big colonies to start off with. Yes, it can work, but there are a couple of big problems.

The first that you'll notice is cost. Getting a full colony is far more expensive than buying a frag and growing it out yourself. A frag of a basic acropora coral might cost $50; a mother colony of the same coral could easily go for $300-$500.

But that's not really the biggest problem. The real problem is that corals are sessile animals. Where most animals adapt to their environment by changing where they are, corals can't do that. They adapt to their environment by changing how they grow. And a big coral colony that you bring in isn't adapted to your conditions; its adapted to wherever it grew. You are likely to have quite a bit of die-off when transplanting a big colony, especially if it's something like an acropora.

But if you don't want to go the SPS route, there are plenty of LPS/Softies that have that full look to them, you just have to know what to look for.

First, leather corals will give you a lot of that. Toadstool corals are virtually indestructible and can grow to an absolutely massive size. In my tank, I have a toadstool that's about 8" across, and it itself is a self-frag from a colony that was about 14" across. In my other tank, I have a different color morph of toadstool that's about 12" across. Put a few of those in your tank and you'll have a lot of lush coral growth. Or you could just put in one and give it time, and it'll spread throughout your tank.

Spaghetti/Devil's Hand leathers give an acropora-esque look while having the resiliency and growth of a softie. The colors are more pastel and less diverse than a proper acro, but they get bigger faster and have the same tree-like growth form as acros.

Zoas will form dense mats in good conditions, giving an appearance similar to an encrusting monti but with much more vibrant and varied color patterns. And mushroom corals will spread and obscure bare rock, again contributing to that lush look.

And if you really want to go nuclear, add in some GSP or Xenia family corals. They'll grow really fast, give you a lush, lived-in look, and honestly a colony of pulsing xenia is absolutely mesmerizing to watch. I personally prefer the subtler look of SPS corals, but if you want a faster "full tank" look, you can get quite a bit of mileage out of softies. Toss in a few impact LPS - like some lobos, torches, hammers or goniopora - and you can have a really nice looking tank without having to plan around SPS corals.

 

[squircle]

This is a good example of a softy-focused tank that looks "lush"

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/reef-...lon-masterpiece-of-unmeasured-parameters.915/

Wow tysm. That's a great example, It was a bit hard to find tanks that looked lush without SPS.

On another note, the problem is that I love euphilliya but they leave so much space around them. They are extremely aggressive and I don't know what can sufficiently tolerate them enough so that it can completely cover the rock.

But if you don't want to go the SPS route, there are plenty of LPS/Softies that have that full look to them, you just have to know what to look for.

Thanks so much for the response. I'm sorry I didn't really mention it in my main post. I don't really like leathers/leather corals, mushrooms, as well as GSP, so those are out. I pretty much like almost everything else in terms of corals(including xenia too its nice). Softies(that are not mentioned before), LPS, etc. By far though, my favorites are LPS. The problem is when I place them, they just need way too much space. I don't know what to do about that. Perhaps xenia can grow up right next to a hammer coral? I'm not sure. But it really is hard to get a lush look with LPS; with SPS they don't nearly require as much space around them. One thing great about SPS is that they can grow right next to each other.

 

[BeanAnimal]

But that's not really the biggest problem. The real problem is that corals are sessile animals. Where most animals adapt to their environment by changing where they are, corals can't do that. They adapt to their environment by changing how they grow. And a big coral colony that you bring in isn't adapted to your conditions; it’s adapted to wherever it grew. You are likely to have quite a bit of die-off when transplanting a big colony, especially if it's something like an acropora.

I don’t see how this is different than a frag. Loss of investment may be higher if things don’t go well, but the frag and the large colony are no more adapted one or the other. Frags come from colonies, either has to adapt to the new conditions.